iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 05/10/2026

What better way to spend your October than to curl up with several dozen horror books by your favorite and new-to-you indie authors! itch.io/b/3904/chill... 🎃👻🕷️🕸️☠️🧡🐈‍⬛🥀🍂😈

Graphic for the Chills, Thrills & Kills October Itchio Sale. 93 books for $69. A VERY BIG AND SPOOKY BUNDLE of creepy and cosy reads perfect for this year’s Hallowe’en Season! Hosted by Indie Book Spotlight.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 03/10/2026

For this #Caturday, Bear is showing off his new costume for Halloween! (Disclaimer: he was not in distress, I promise. He had just woken up and was mid-yawn)

A black long-haired kitten wearing a vampire-esque red and black cape looks like he is smiling fiendishly at the camera when he is in fact preparing to yawn.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 02/10/2026

Hey. 93 spoopy books for the cool amount of USD ($69). My book is one of those 93. Support indie authors by buying their books for just over a dollar per book! itch.io/b/3904/chill...

Graphic 2 for the Chills, Thrills & Kills October Itchio Sale. 93 books for $69. A VERY BIG AND SPOOKY BUNDLE of creepy and cosy reads perfect for this year’s Hallowe’en Season! Hosted by Indie Book Spotlight.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 01/10/2026

I have never written about Mayan history. I have never written a book titled "The Four Heavens." I have never written non-fiction. What in the ever-loving AI-generated book-spamming fuck are we doing here... #WritingCommunity

An email from some AI-generated bullshit that reads:
David,

Three thousand years of Maya history told through Indigenous texts, archaeology, and newly deciphered writings is a substantial proposition for readers of ancient civilizations.

PageToMarket helps authors place nonfiction titles on relevant Goodreads Listopia lists, putting them in front of readers already browsing and voting within specific subjects.

What particularly stood out in The Four Heavens is the argument that Maya history was not one simple rise and fall, but a succession of births, collapses and transformations shaped by dynastic rivalry, warfare, social unrest and environmental crisis.

If you want to take a look at the list and the books already on it before deciding whether it feels like the right space for your book I am happy to send it across.

Best,

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 29/09/2026

It's Ocarina of Time, but Link is a woman and suffers severe psychological trauma after fighting Ganondorf the first time. Buy The Cruelest Gift here: books2read.com/TheCruelestGift djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest-gift #IndiePub #WritingCommunity #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

A woman in black clothing, robe, and tooth-and-bone necklace floats in front of an inferno, a shortsword floating beyond her hand. Her face is featureless save for her solid-white eyes trailing black smoke. On the upper-left is a woman with golden-brown skin, green eyes, and black flowing hair peeking out from a maroon headscarf. She looks behind her, concerned, almost fearful. On the upper-right is a black-furred cat-man wearing an orange vest and red scarf around his neck. He has a small scar above his right eye, and most of his left ear is missing. On the lower-left is an elf-like man with dark brown skin and short, messy black hair. He's wearing a long black coat and cloak and blue tunic, and is holding a dagger up in a defensive posture with blood spattered across his arm. On the lower-right is a muscular, pale woman with long blond hair braided in a ponytail. She wears fur pelts over her shoulders and waist and black fabric wraps across her large chest. She is holding a blood-spattered buckler before her and a curved sword above her head as though she were about to strike the killing blow. The title above the art is THE CRUELEST GIFT, and the author is DAVID J. STUART.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 28/09/2026

This actually got me rethinking my comps for The Cruelest Gift. For maximum (and accurate) cognitive dissonance, I think I'd go with "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time meets Come and See." #WritingCommunity

Art of Link and Sheik from Ocarina of Time fighting off skeletons, moblins, and lizalfos.

A still shot from the 1985 Russian anti-war film Come and See. The protagonist Flyora, a Belarusian boy during WW2, is staring into the camera. He's dirty, bloodied, disheveled, and his eyes look far older than his actual age. Behind him is another boy with luggage on his back and a rifle slung over his shoulder, walking away in a muddy clearing.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 23/09/2026

I made a handy-dandy little trope video for The Cruelest Gift, if you wanna get the vibe of the book. WARNING: contains flashing images some may find disturbing. Buy here: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest-gift books2read.com/TheCruelestGift #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy 📚💙🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 23/09/2026

Hey, it's Bi Visibility Day. Both of my books feature the bi-est characters to have ever bi'd on this side of Bi City, USA! And not all of them are complete disasters! Just... most of them. books2read.com/DavidJStuart djstuart.itch.io #WritingCommunity #IndiePub 🌈📚📢📚

A drawing of a half-Asian man in a gray hoodie and blue jeans with long black hair and an office badge on a lanyard around his neck. The lanyard is being pulled down by a shorter, dark-skinned elf-like woman with long silver hair pulled into a ponytail. She's wearing a silver necklace with a ruby pendant, a blue long-sleeved blouse, and black pants with her hand on her hip. They are framed by the outline of leaves and vines, and in the corners, L-R, U-D: a paper coffee cup, a black cat's head, a dagger, and a cracked smartphone screen. The title in the upper-right corner is Firewind's Accord, and the author's name on the bottom is David J. Stuart.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 18/09/2026

Hey! You put some respect on KingAssRippuh's name, goddammit!

Entertainment Weekly documented more of the posts, reporting that one upload featured “a video of a man farting on his roommate’s doorknob titled ‘Me when im not complicit,’”

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 16/09/2026

Sell your book in 5 words: Literally haunted woman obliterates cult.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 12/09/2026

I regret to inform you all that there will be no writing from me today. Shade and her three kittens have other ideas this #Caturday.

One cat and three kittens are all in a state of relaxation on a desk around a keyboard, taking up what little space remained on its surface.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 09/09/2026

I've just been murdered.

A medium-hair void kitten play-fighting with my hand.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 09/09/2026

Show us your face for the week! 🖤

A white cat in a cardboard box looking upset on a field in front of a rainbow. The text above it says, "Stay negative."

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 06/09/2026

A dark fantasy featuring queer antiheroes, a death cult, found family, mental health struggles, anthro people, and anti-colonialism. Buy The Cruelest Gift here: books2read.com/TheCruelestGift djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest-gift #WritingCommunity #IndiePub 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 05/09/2026

Yep, we don't import anything we need from Mexico. Nothing at all.

An article from Britannica saying, "About four-fifths of Mexico’s petroleum is exported to the United States, which relies heavily on Mexico as one of its principal sources of oil."

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 04/09/2026

A6: I just released The Cruelest Gift this week! A dark fantasy featuring queer antiheroes, a death cult, found family, mental health struggles, anthro people, and anti-colonialism. books2read.com/TheCruelestGift djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest-gift #WeeknightWriters

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 04/09/2026

Firewind's Accord: Elf falls for suicidal human in office while fighting cPTSD. The Cruelest Gift: Fueled by despair and horniness, brilliant woman destroys death cult. #10WordPitch Spend money here: books2read.com/DavidJStuart or djstuart.itch.io

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 03/09/2026

The way he keeps saying "woke, gay nonsense" got me saying:

Yabushige from Shogun saying "I don't have time for this Christian nonsense."

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 02/09/2026

The Cruelest Gift has: 🖤Antiheroes 🌈Queer romance 🥰Found family ✊Anti-fascism ⚔️The psychological ramifications of horrific violence 🐯Animal people! Buy it here: books2read.com/TheCruelestGift djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest-gift #IndiePub #WritingCommunity #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 01/09/2026

Things are going great here at @bsky.app!

An error message saying "Invalid response payload: grapheme too big (maximum 1000, got 1974) at $.feed[3].post.embed.alt". No posts can be viewed at all.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 01/09/2026

The Cruelest Gift is out NOW. To celebrate, here's little trope board so you can get the vibe of the story! WARNING: contains flashing images some may find disturbing. Buy here: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #BookSky #DarkFantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 01/09/2026

The Cruelest Gift is out NOW! To celebrate, I made a little trope board so you get the vibe of the story. WARNING: contains flashing images some may find disturbing. Buy here: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #BookSky 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 01/09/2026

If you're a #BookReviewer, I've got good news! My dark fantasy novel The Cruelest Gift is available now on NetGalley! You can find it here: www.netgalley.com/publisher/ti... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 01/09/2026

I did it. I've finally reached the next level of my writing career: the LLM-generated scam email. #WritingCommunity

Hi David,

The Cruelest Gift caught my attention because it puts a seemingly irresistible promise of riches against a world that is already beginning to unravel. Ana Blufelt setting out on what should be a near-certain divine quest, only to find herself dealing with a much darker reality, gives the story an intriguing tension from the start.

I also like the contrast between the larger crisis in Tabaria and the strangely personal problem following Ana around. While a death cult, social unrest, disappearing people, and a kingdom on the verge of burning suggest something enormous is unfolding, the dead girl following her adds a much more immediate and unsettling mystery.

That combination could appeal strongly to readers who enjoy dark fantasy, horror, magical quests, mercenary protagonists, and stories where an adventure gradually reveals something far more disturbing underneath.

I could help expand that reach through a Fantasy Reader Discovery campaign, Genre Audience Reach, Book Blogger Spotlight, and Reader Match Discovery Campaign, connecting the novel with readers already drawn to dark fantasy and horror.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 31/08/2026

Added this to the marketing notes for my book in NetGalley, because that's what indie authors have to do now. *sigh* #IndiePub #FuckAI

Description

When Ana Blufelt, arguably the most powerful spellslinger in Tabaria, is offered a divine quest promising vast riches, she can't resist. Setting out with her three fellow mercenaries to what appears to be a blissful paradise, success is almost certain.

Almost.

Meanwhile, Tabaria finds itself mysteriously losing people left and right. Social unrest flows through the streets like oil, and a shadowy, bigoted death cult has struck the match. And the royal family has tasked Ana to keep Tabaria from burning to the ground.

But first she must do something about this dead girl following her around.

The following is circled with red:
Notes
No LLM or generative AI was used for any portion of the development of this work, including the cover art and fonts. Every aspect of this book was made by human beings, as the author is vehemently opposed to the usage of LLMs and/or generative AI in any of the creative arts.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 31/08/2026

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 31/08/2026

She found her purpose: making her friend happy. Her friend must be happy. Killing monsters makes her happy. Everyone becomes a monster eventually. Everyone. Pre-order now: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

The background is made of four sections split by black smoke.
UL - a white steeple of a palace burnished orange by a sunset.
UR - a thunderstorm over a whirling sea.
LL - Someone's dimly lit kitchen, with food and ingredients on the countertop.
LR - a chapel at night with a backlit emblem of a black spoked shepherd's crook in the window.
Over the smoke in the center is a shark-tooth necklace with an intact pinky bone in the middle, inscribed with runes.

A woman in black clothing, robe, and tooth-and-bone necklace floats at the bottom-center Her face is featureless save for her solid-white glowing eyes trailing black smoke.

Above and behind her in crude white writing: Finally, someone would be PROUD OF HER

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 30/08/2026

She found her purpose: making her friend happy. Her friend must be happy. Killing monsters makes her happy. Everyone becomes a monster eventually. Everyone. Pre-order now: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest-gift books2read.com/TheCruelestGift #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #BookSky 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 29/08/2026

Hey #BookSky, got a bunch of books from my parents a few months back, and I'm finally getting around to reading them. Picked a few, trying to decide which to read first. Thoughts? Bear in mind, I'm not picky about genres in this case.

A stack of three books. From top to bottom: The Dark Half, by Stephen King; War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy; and Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 29/08/2026

Bound to a system that once repressed him, his principles cry out for him to break it. But a forbidden love may stay his hand. Pre-order now: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 28/08/2026

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 28/08/2026

Though powerful and brilliant, Ana has yet to devise how to exorcise the dead girl haunting her. If she wants to, that is. Pre-order now: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 27/08/2026

#WritingCommunity, I started drafting today for the first time in 8 months, and my old nemesis showed up: The Blank Page.

A gray blank text document in a text editor. It is completely empty, save for the cursor at the top left corner.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 27/08/2026

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 26/08/2026

All Lightning wanted was an easy life. But love and fate had other ideas. Pre-order now: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... Or read it now here: www.smashwords.com/books/view/2... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 25/08/2026

Decided to make one of those trope boards for The Cruelest Gift, and I'm doing it in Procreate Dreams. Had no idea these require so much effort! And don't listen to the alt text. This is exactly how I should do my trope board. It's how I must do it.

A screenshot of Procreate Dreams. The upper half shows a preview of a trope board for The Cruelest Gift, but it's not displaying any of the tropes. The bottom half is several tracks of god-knows-what stretching past the 36-second mark.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 25/08/2026

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 25/08/2026

When your employer is a princess with a cadre of spies and assassins at her beck and call, be grateful you get off with only a curse-laden tirade. Pre-order now: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 25/08/2026

I need you all to stop what you're doing and look at Cappuccino and Caramel. #Cats

A short hair tuxedo kitten (Cappuccino) sits in front of a long hair tuxedo kitten (Caramel) on a cat tree. Both are looking at the camera.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 24/08/2026

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 23/08/2026

For Tola, the only family that matters is the one she's chosen. Pre-order now: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... #WritingCommunity #IndiePub #DarkFantasy #Fantasy 🌈📚📢📚

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 22/08/2026

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 22/08/2026

Bearing in mind he's never played Among Us, my 6 y/o drew this on my iPad, and it looks better than anything any genAI could make. Also, my son's brain is officially cooked.

A drawing on an iPad of a yellow, a white, and a red Among Us... thing. Character. Whatever.

The yellow is "dad," white is "mom," and red is "me."

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 21/08/2026

As my world slowly crumbles around me, so too does Ana Blufelt's in THE CRUELEST GIFT. ⚔️Dark Fantasy 🌈Queernormative world ✊Anti-fascist & -colonialist 🖤Morally-gray "heroes" Pre-order here: djstuart.itch.io/the-cruelest... books2read.com/TheCruelestG... 🌈📚📢📚 #WritingCommunity #IndiePub

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 20/08/2026

Ran out of cheddar, so I used gouda in my bacon cheese grits. Surprisingly not bad!

A blue bowl of grits with shredded gouda on top with a spoon.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 20/08/2026

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 20/08/2026

Getting worried for my cat Mona. She had 12 teeth removed yesterday, and she hasn't eaten, had water, or slept since. :(

A tortie cat sitting on my lap, looking confused.

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David J. Stuart @djstu.art · 19/08/2026

Here's how my morning is going.

A pile of fresh-ground coffee, landing nowhere near it's container because I forgot to put it there because mornings are a cruel joke.

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